Edge-stiffened sheet material probe

ABSTRACT

An edge-stiffened sheet material probe is provided. The probe is useful for probing and cleaning of small, constricted or confined spaces. For example, the probe may be suitably used as a dental probe for cleaning interdental spaces. The probe formed from at least one fibrous web material that is cut and sealed to form an edge and terminates at a first point. In addition, the probe may be formed from or as a laminate of two or more fibrous web material layers that are cut and sealed, or may be formed from or as a laminate of the at least one sheet or material may be folded or two or more sheets may be cut and sealed to form. A pack of connected probes is also provided.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to probes useful for probing or cleaningof small or constricted space, for example dental probes such astoothpicks and other devices that are used by individuals to cleanspaces between teeth and other crevices and constricted areas in amouth.

Toothpicks are commonly used to clean spaces between teeth and othercrevices and constricted dental areas around teeth. However, currenttoothpicks made from wood and plastics are hard and sharp and can causedamage during normal use, and especially during clumsy handling or useby the inexperienced. They can also easily be broken during use andleave fragments of the toothpick lodged in the interdental spaces orbetween the teeth and gums. Moreover, individuals with sensitive gums orweakened gums are at higher risk for injury. Additionally, currenttoothpicks can not adjust to different spacings between the teethbecause they lack form-fitting properties. Furthermore, currenttoothpicks are generally provided as a straight shaped pick and thus notergonomically designed, do not fit the user's hand well, and aredifficult to use especially when attempting to clean between back teeth.

Teeth cleaning is regularly required to maintain dental hygiene. Variousresidues such as food residues and bacterial plaque films can build upon teeth and gums over a period of time, thereby adversely affectingoral health. Current toothpicks, being generally made of hard wood orplastic, do not provide an advantageously texturized or mildly abrasivesurface for cleaning or polishing the interdental surfaces of the teeth.

Thus, there remains a need for probes which may be beneficially used as,for example, dental probes that are softer, gentler, better fittingbetween the interdental spaces, and more ergonomic and user friendly. Inaddition, there remains a need for probes capable of cleaning and/orpolishing the surfaces of teeth that are in facing relationship withanother tooth, and which also can provide an oral hygiene treatment.

SUMMARY

The present invention is generally directed to a stiffened sheetmaterial probe that can be used to probe into and/or clean small orconstricted spaces. For example, the probe may be used to beneficiallyprobe and clean tooth and gum surfaces adjacent to interdental spaces,and to remove lodged food particles or debris from interdental spaces. Aprobe of the present invention is generally formed from one or morefibrous web materials having thermoplastic fibers, and the fibrous webmaterial(s) are cut and shaped into an elongate device for probingconstricted spaces such as the spaces between the teeth. The probeincludes at least one cut and sealed edge that terminates at a firstpoint at a first end of the probe. The probe may further include asecond point at a second end of the probe. The at least first fibrousweb material may desirably be such as a woven web material or a nonwovenweb material. Suitable thermoplastic polymers for the thermoplasticfibers include polyolefins, such as polypropylene.

The probe may additionally include a second fibrous web material that isplaced in a layered or face-to-face relation with the first fibrous webmaterial, and the two fibrous web materials are cut and sealed togetherto form the sealed edge(s). Such a second fibrous web material alsosuitably includes thermoplastic polymer fibers. Alternatively, a probemay be constructed using the first fibrous web material in a foldedrelationship, such that the fibrous web material is folded inface-to-face relation with itself to form a bilayer, and cut and sealedto form the sealed edge(s). The probes may include an elongate tubularmember; that is, the probe may have a hollow space between the twolayered fibrous web materials or between the layers of a folded fibrousweb material. Alternatively, the probe may include an additionalmaterial layer disposed between the layers or folds, and such anadditional material layer may be such as a fibrous web material or afoam material, for example.

Any of the fibrous web materials used to construct a probe of theinvention may desirably have a texturized surface, such as a texturizedsurface formed from looped bristles, crimped fibers, and/or pointunbonded materials having a plurality of raised tufts surrounded bybonded regions. Generally, where one or more of the fibrous webmaterials used in the probe is a nonwoven web material, the nonwoven maybe such as spunbond webs, meltblown webs, spunbond-meltblown webs,spunbond-meltblown-spunbond webs, through air bonded webs andcombinations and laminates thereof. The probe may also include one ormore active substances. Also provided is a pack having a plurality ofprobes that are at least partially connected together. Various featuresand aspects of the present invention are discussed in greater detailbelow.

DEFINITIONS

As used herein and in the claims, the term “comprising” is inclusive oropen-ended and does not exclude additional unrecited elements,compositional components, or method steps. Accordingly, the term“comprising” encompasses the more restrictive terms “consistingessentially of” and “consisting of”.

As used herein the term “polymer” generally includes but is not limitedto, homopolymers, copolymers, such as for example, block, graft, randomand alternating copolymers, terpolymers, etc. and blends andmodifications thereof. Furthermore, unless otherwise specificallylimited, the term “polymer” shall include all possible geometricalconfigurations of the material. These configurations include, but arenot limited to, isotactic, syndiotactic and random symmetries. As usedherein the term “thermoplastic” or “thermoplastic polymer” refers topolymers that will soften and flow or melt when heat and/or pressure areapplied, the changes being reversible.

As used herein the term “fibers” refers to both staple length fibers andsubstantially continuous filaments, unless otherwise indicated. As usedherein the term “substantially continuous” with respect to a filament orfiber means a filament or fiber having a length much greater than itsdiameter, for example having a length to diameter ratio in excess ofabout 15,000 to 1, and desirably in excess of 50,000 to 1.

As used herein the term “monocomponent” fiber refers to a fiber formedfrom one or more extruders using only one polymer composition. This isnot meant to exclude fibers or filaments formed from one polymericextrudate to which small amounts of additives have been added for color,anti-static properties, lubrication, hydrophilicity, etc.

As used herein the term “multicomponent fibers” refers to fibers orfilaments that have been formed from at least two component polymers, orthe same polymer with different properties or additives, extruded fromseparate extruders but spun together to form one fiber or filament.Multicomponent fibers are also sometimes referred to as conjugate fibersor bicomponent fibers, although more than two components may be used.The polymers are arranged in substantially constantly positioneddistinct zones across the cross-section of the multicomponent fibers andextend continuously along the length of the multicomponent fibers. Theconfiguration of such a multicomponent fiber may be, for example, aconcentric or eccentric sheath/core arrangement wherein one polymer issurrounded by another, or may be a side by side arrangement, an“islands-in-the-sea” arrangement, or arranged as pie-wedge shapes or asstripes on a round, oval or rectangular cross-section fiber, or otherconfigurations. Multicomponent fibers are taught in U.S. Pat. No.5,108,820 to Kaneko et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,336,552 to Strack et al.Conjugate fibers are also taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,400 to Pike etal. and may be used to produced crimp in the fibers by using thedifferential rates of expansion and contraction of the two (or more)polymers. For two component fibers, the polymers may be present inratios of 75/25, 50/50, 25/75 or any other desired ratios. In addition,any given component of a multicomponent fiber may desirably comprise twoor more polymers as a multiconstituent blend component.

As used herein the terms “biconstituent fiber” or “multiconstituentfiber” refer to a fiber or filament formed from at least two polymers,or the same polymer with different properties or additives, extrudedfrom the same extruder as a blend. Multiconstituent fibers do not havethe polymer components arranged in substantially constantly positioneddistinct zones across the cross-section of the multicomponent fibers;the polymer components may form fibrils or protofibrils that start andend at random.

As used herein the terms “nonwoven web” or “nonwoven fabric” refer to afibrous web material having a structure of individual fibers orfilaments that are interlaid, but not in an identifiable or regularlyrepeating manner as in textile fibrous web materials such as knitted orwoven materials known in the art. Nonwoven fabrics or fibrous webs havebeen formed from many processes such as for example, meltblowingprocesses, spunbonding processes, coforming processes, airlayingprocesses, and carded web processes. The basis weight of nonwovenfabrics is usually expressed in grams per square meter (gsm) or ouncesof material per square yard (osy) and the fiber or filament diametersuseful are usually expressed in microns. (Note that to convert from osyto gsm, multiply osy by 33.91).

The terms “spunbond” or “spunbond nonwoven web” refer to a nonwovenfibrous web material of small diameter fibers or filaments that areformed by extruding molten thermoplastic polymer as fibers from aplurality of capillaries of a spinneret. The extruded fibers are cooledwhile being drawn by an eductive or other well known drawing mechanism.The drawn fibers are deposited or laid onto a forming surface in agenerally random manner to form a loosely entangled fiber web, and thenthe laid fiber web is subjected to a bonding process to impart physicalintegrity and dimensional stability. The production of spunbond fabricsis disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,340,563 to Appel et al.,3,692,618 to Dorschner et al., and 3,802,817 to Matsuki et al., allincorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Typically,spunbond fibers or filaments have a weight-per-unit-length in excess ofabout 1 denier and up to about 6 denier or higher, although both finerand heavier spunbond fibers can be produced. In terms of fiber diameter,spunbond fibers often have an average diameter of larger than 7 microns,and more particularly between about 10 and about 25 microns, and up toabout 30 microns or more.

As used herein the term “meltblown fibers” means fibers or microfibersformed by extruding a molten thermoplastic material through a pluralityof fine, usually circular, die capillaries as molten threads orfilaments or fibers into converging high velocity gas (e.g. air) streamsthat attenuate the fibers of molten thermoplastic material to reducetheir diameter. Thereafter, the meltblown fibers are carried by the highvelocity gas stream and are deposited on a collecting surface to form aweb of randomly dispersed meltblown fibers. Such a process is disclosed,for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,849,241 to Buntin. Meltblown fibers maybe continuous or discontinuous, are often smaller than 10 microns inaverage diameter and are frequently smaller than 7 or even 5 microns inaverage diameter, and are generally tacky when deposited onto acollecting surface.

As used herein “multilayer laminate” means a composite materialincluding two or more material layers. Such laminate materials generallyinclude two or more material layers placed in face-to-face relation witheach other and then bonded or secured together. The layers may be bondedtogether substantially continuously along the plane of theirface-to-face relation, intermittently at discrete attachment sites orbond points, or merely along some desired or shaped periphery. Exemplarymultilayer laminates include laminates of two or more sheets or layersof fibrous web materials whether the individual layers are of the sameor of different materials, for example spunbond-spunbond laminates,spunbond-carded web laminates, or other combination nonwoven-nonwovenlaminates as are known in the art, woven-woven laminates, nonwoven-wovenlaminates, etc. Exemplary multilayer laminates also include thespunbond-meltblown (SM) laminates and spunbond-meltblown-spunbond (SMS)laminates and others as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,041,203 to Brock etal., U.S. Pat. No. 5,169,706 to Collier, et al and U.S. Pat. No.5,188,885 to Timmons et al. Such SM and SMS multilayer laminates may bemade by sequentially depositing onto a moving forming belt first aspunbond fabric layer, then a meltblown fabric layer and, if desired,another spunbond layer and then bonding the layers together into alaminate material. Alternatively, the individual fabric layers includedin a laminate material may be made individually, collected in rolls, andcombined into the laminate in a separate bonding step. Such multilayerlaminates usually have a basis weight of from about 0.1 to about 12 osyor more (about 3 to about 400 gsm or more), or more particularly fromabout 0.5 to about 3 osy (about 17 to about 100 gsm). SM and SMSlaminates may also have various numbers of meltblown layers or multiplespunbond layers in many different configurations. In addition,multilayer laminates may also include other materials like films orcoform materials and/or other fibrous web material layers as are knownin the art.

As used herein “carded webs” refers to nonwoven webs formed by cardingprocesses as are known to those skilled in the art and furtherdescribed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,488,928 to Alikhan andSchmidt which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.Briefly, carding processes involve starting with staple fibers in abulky batt that is combed or otherwise treated to provide a web ofgenerally uniform basis weight. Typically, the webs are thereafterbonded by such means as through-air bonding, thermal point bonding,adhesive bonding, and the like.

As used herein “coform” or “coform web” refers to nonwoven webs formedby a process in which at least one meltblown diehead is arranged near achute or other delivery device through which other materials are addedwhile the web is being formed. Such other materials as may be addedinclude staple fibers, cellulosic fibers, and/or superabsorbentmaterials and the like. Coform processes are described in U.S. Pat. Nos.4,818,464 to Lau and 4,100,324 to Anderson et al., the disclosures ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

As used herein, an “airlaid” web is a fibrous web structure formedprimarily by a process by which bundles of small fibers having typicallengths ranging from about 3 to about 50 millimeters (mm) are separatedand entrained in an air supply or air stream and then deposited onto aforming screen or other foraminous forming surface, usually with theassistance of a vacuum supply, in order to form a dry-laid fiber web.Typically following deposition the web is densified and/or bonded bysuch means as thermal bonding or adhesive bonding. Equipment forproducing air-laid webs includes the Rando-Weber air-former machineavailable from Rando Corporation of New York and the Dan-Web rotaryscreen air-former machine available from Dan-Web Forming of Risskov,Denmark. Generally the web comprises cellulosic fibers such as thosefrom fluff pulp that have been separated from a mat of fibers, such asby a hammermilling process, and may also include other fibers such assynthetic staple fibers or binder fibers, super absorbent materials,etc. “Cellulosic” fibers can include materials having cellulose as amajor constituent, typically 50 percent by weight or more cellulose or acellulose derivative, and includes such as cotton, typical wood pulps,non-woody cellulosic fibers, cellulose acetate, cellulose triacetate,rayon, thermomechanical wood pulp, chemical wood pulp, debonded chemicalwood pulp, milkweed, and bacterial cellulose.

As used herein, “thermal point bonding” involves passing a fabric or webof fibers or other sheet layer material to be bonded between a heatedcalender roll and an anvil roll. The calender roll is usually, thoughnot always, patterned on its surface in some way so that the entirefabric is not bonded across its entire surface. As a result, variouspatterns for calender rolls have been developed for functional as wellas aesthetic reasons. One example of a pattern has points and is theHansen Pennings or “H&P” pattern with about a 30 percent bond area withabout 200 bonds per square inch (about 31 bonds per square centimeter)as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 3,855,046 to Hansen and Pennings. The H&Ppattern has square point or pin bonding areas wherein each pin has aside dimension of 0.038 inches (0.965 mm), a spacing of 0.070 inches(1.778 mm) between pins, and a depth of bonding of 0.023 inches (0.584mm). The resulting pattern has a bonded area of about 29.5 percent.Another typical point bonding pattern is the expanded Hansen andPennings or “EHP” bond pattern which produces a 15 percent bond areawith a square pin having a side dimension of 0.037 inches (0.94 mm), apin spacing of 0.097 inches (2.464 mm) and a depth of 0.039 inches(0.991 mm). Other common patterns include a high density diamond or “HDDpattern”, which comprises point bonds having about 460 pins per squareinch (about 71 pins per square centimeter) for a bond area of about 15percent to about 23 percent, a “Ramish” diamond pattern with repeatingdiamonds having a bond area of about 8 percent to about 14 percent andabout 52 pins per square inch (about 8 pins per square centimeter) and awire weave pattern looking as the name suggests, e.g. like a windowscreen. Alternatively, or in addition, useful bonding patterns may havepin elements arranged so as to leave machine direction running “lanes”or lines of unbonded or substantially unbonded regions running in themachine direction, so that the nonwoven web material has additional giveor extensibility in the cross machine direction. Such bonding patternsas are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,620,779 to Levy and McCormack,incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, may be useful, such asfor example the “rib-knit” bonding pattern therein described. Typically,the percent bonding area varies from around 10 percent to around 30percent or more of the area of the fabric or web. Another known thermalcalendering bonding method is the “pattern unbonded” or “point unbonded”or “PUB” bonding as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,858,515 to Stokes et al.,wherein continuous bonded areas define a plurality of discrete unbondedareas. Thermal bonding (point bonding or point-unbonding) impartsintegrity to individual layers or webs by bonding fibers within thelayer and/or for laminates of multiple layers, such thermal bondingholds the layers together to form a cohesive laminate material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including thebest mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is setforth in the specification, which makes reference to the appendeddrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a probe according to one embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is another embodiment of a probe of the invention;

FIG. 3-FIG. 5 are still other embodiments of the probe of the invention;

FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are cross sectional views of the probe shown in FIG.1;

FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are cross sectional views of the probe shown in FIG.2;

FIG. 10-FIG. 12 are cross sectional views of the probe shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 13-FIG. 15 are cross sectional views of the probe shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 16-FIG. 18 are cross sectional views of the probe shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 19 and FIG. 20 illustrate packs including a plurality of probes ofthe invention; and

FIG. 21 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view illustrating a cuttingand sealing horn that may be used to form edge seals in the probesaccording to the invention.

Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification anddrawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features orelements of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference now will be made in detail to the embodiments of theinvention, one or more examples of which are set forth below. Eachexample is provided by way of explanation of the invention, notlimitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be madein the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit ofthe invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as partof one embodiment, can be used in or with another embodiment to yield astill further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the presentinvention covers such modifications and variations as come within thescope of the appended claims and their equivalents. Other objects,features and aspects of the present invention are disclosed in or areobvious from the following detailed description. In addition, it shouldbe noted that any given range presented herein is intended to includeany and all lesser included ranges. For example, a range of from 45-90would also include 50-90; 45-80; 46-89 and the like. Thus, the range of95% to 99.999% also includes, for example, the ranges of 96% to 99.1%,96.3% to 99.7%, and 99.91% to 99.999%, etc.

The edge-stiffened sheet material probes in accordance with the presentinvention can be used by an individual to probe into and/or clean smallor constricted spaces. As a specific example, a user may utilize theprobe to remove foreign materials and plaque from in between the teeth,that is, the interdental spaces. In addition, the probe of the presentinvention can be used to gently clean along the gumline. In certainembodiments, probes of the present invention can include one or moretexturized surfaces that can additionally be used to clean and/or polishsurfaces, such as tooth surfaces and tooth and gum interfaces.Desirably, probes in accordance with the invention are portable anddisposable and can be used, for example, as a dental probe for dentalcleaning when a toothbrush or dental floss is not readily available forthe purposes of oral hygiene.

The probes of the invention include at least one sheet of fibrous webmaterial that has been cut and sealed or bonded to form a sealed edge.Probes of the present invention can generally be formed in a variety ofways. For instance, in one embodiment a probe can be formed from asingle fibrous web material that is cut and bonded or sealed to form thesealed edge and to form the desired shape of the probe. Alternatively, asingle fibrous web material may be folded upon itself in facing orface-to-face relation into a layered or laminate structure, and then cutand bonded or sealed to form the sealed edge and to form the desiredshape of the probe. As still another alternative, a probe can be formedfrom two or more layers or sheets of fibrous web materials that arelayered together in face-to-face relation into a laminate structure andthen cut and bonded or sealed to form the sealed edge and to form thedesired shape of the probe.

As stated, the edge-stiffened sheet material probes are made from atleast one fibrous web material, such as woven or knitted textilematerials, or nonwoven fibrous web materials. However, because of theirrelative inexpense, nonwoven web materials may be particularly suitablefor probe applications where the probe is intended to be a limited orsingle-use disposable device. Such nonwoven fibrous web materials, forinstance, include be meltblown webs, spunbond webs, carded webs, airlaidand coform webs, and so forth. The webs can be made from or includevarious fibers, such as synthetic or natural fibers. For example,suitable fibers could include meltspun and/or cut staple lengthmonocomponent fibers, multicomponent fibers, multiconsitutent fibers,and so forth. In addition, fibers used in making the fibrous webmaterial(s) to be used in the probe may have any suitable morphology andmay include hollow or solid fibers, be substantially circular in crosssection or have various non-circular cross sectional shapes, be straightor crimped fibers, and/or be blends or mixtures of such fibers and/orfilaments, as are well known in the art.

Generally, in order to effect the sealed edge, the fibrous web materialsused to manufacture the probes of the present invention will includesynthetic fibers, and more particularly should include fibers includingthermoplastic polymers. Exemplary polymers known to be generallysuitable in the making of fibrous web materials such as woven or knittedtextile materials, and nonwoven materials such as spunbond, meltblown,coform, airlaid and carded webs and the like, include for examplepolyolefins, polyesters, polyamides, polycarbonates and copolymers andblends thereof. It should be noted that the polymer or polymers selectedmay desirably contain other additives such as processing aids ortreatment compositions to impart desired properties to the fibers,residual amounts of solvents, pigments or colorants and the like.

Suitable polyolefins include polyethylene, e.g., high densitypolyethylene, medium density polyethylene, low density polyethylene andlinear low density polyethylene; polypropylene, e.g., isotacticpolypropylene, syndiotactic polypropylene, blends of isotacticpolypropylene and atactic polypropylene; polybutylene, e.g.,poly(1-butene) and poly(2-butene); polypentene, e.g., poly(1-pentene)and poly(2-pentene); poly(3-methyl-1-pentene); poly(4-methyl-1-pentene);and copolymers and blends thereof. Suitable copolymers include randomand block copolymers prepared from two or more different unsaturatedolefin monomers, such as ethylene/propylene and ethylene/butylenecopolymers. Suitable polyamides include nylon 6, nylon 6/6, nylon 4/6,nylon 11, nylon 12, nylon 6/10, nylon 6/12, nylon 12/12, copolymers ofcaprolactam and alkylene oxide diamine, and the like, as well as blendsand copolymers thereof. Suitable polyesters include poly(lactide) andpoly(lactic acid) polymers as well as polyethylene terephthalate,polybutylene terephthalate, polytetramethylene terephthalate,polycyclohexylene-1,4-dimethylene terephthalate, and isophthalatecopolymers thereof, as well as blends thereof.

In addition, many elastomeric polymers are known to be suitable forforming fibers and fibrous web materials that exhibit properties ofstretch and recovery. Thermoplastic polymer compositions may desirablycomprise any elastic polymer or polymers known to be suitableelastomeric fiber or film forming resins including, for example, elasticpolyesters, elastic polyurethanes, elastic polyamides, elasticco-polymers of ethylene and at least one vinyl monomer, blockcopolymers, and elastic polyolefins. Examples of elastic blockcopolymers include those having the general formula A-B-A′ or A-B, whereA and A′ are each a thermoplastic polymer endblock that contains astyrenic moiety such as a poly (vinyl arene) and where B is anelastomeric polymer midblock such as a conjugated diene or a loweralkene polymer such as for examplepolystyrene-poly(ethylene-butylene)-polystyrene block copolymers. Alsoincluded are polymers composed of an A-B-A-B tetrablock copolymer, asdiscussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,332,613 to Taylor et al. An example of sucha tetrablock copolymer is astyrene-poly(ethylene-propylene)-styrene-poly(ethylene-propylene) orSEPSEP block copolymer. These A-B-A′ and A-B-A-B copolymers areavailable in several different formulations from Kraton Polymers U.S.,L.L.C. of Houston, Tex. under the trade designation KRATON®. Othercommercially available block copolymers include the SEPS orstyrene-poly(ethylene-propylene)-styrene elastic copolymer availablefrom Kuraray Company, Ltd. of Okayama, Japan, under the trade nameSEPTON®.

Examples of elastic polyolefins include ultra-low density elasticpolypropylenes and polyethylenes, such as those produced by“single-site” or “metallocene” catalysis methods. Such polymers arecommercially available from the Dow Chemical Company of Midland, Mich.under the trade name ENGAGE®, and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,278,272and 5,272,236 to Lai et al. entitled “Elastic Substantially LinearOlefin Polymers”. Also useful are certain elastomeric polypropylenessuch as are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,539,056 to Yanget al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,596,052 to Resconi et al., incorporatedherein by reference in their entireties, and polyethylenes such asAFFINITY® EG 8200 from Dow Chemical of Midland, Mich. as well as EXACT®4049, 4011 and 4041 from the ExxonMobil Chemical Company of Houston,Tex., as well as blends. Still other elastomeric polymers are available,such as the elastic polyolefin resins available under the trade nameVISTAMAXX from the ExxonMobil Chemical Company, Houston, Tex., and thepolyolefin (propylene-ethylene copolymer) elastic resins available underthe trade name VERSIFY from Dow Chemical, Midlands, Mich.

The fibers used in the fibrous web material(s) of the present inventioncan also be such as the curled or crimped mentioned above. Curled orcrimped fibers may desirably create higher levels of fiber entanglementand may create more void volume within a fibrous web, and/or andincrease the amount or number of fibers that are oriented in thez-direction (direction perpendicular to the length and width plane ofthe fibrous web material). Fibers may suitably be curled or crimped, forinstance, by adding a chemical agent to the fibers or by subjectingfibers to a mechanical crimping process, or, for example, by methodsutilizing differential rates of expansion and contraction inmulticomponent fibers as is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,400 to Pike etal.

It may also be desirable to provide as the fibrous web(s), materialsthat are composite materials including fibers having higher levels ofliquid absorbency than that provided by many conventional thermoplasticsynthetic fibers. For example, coform and airlaid composite webs as areknown in the art may include synthetic thermoplastic fibers andadditional or secondary fibers such as cellulosic or pulp fibers. Asexamples, pulp fibers such as soft wood fibers such as northern softwoodkraft fibers, redwood fibers, and pine fibers may be included, andhardwood pulp fibers, such as eucalyptus fibers, can also be utilized inthe present invention. Other cellulosic fibers are known to one skilledin the art and may be utilized. However, it should be noted that theefficiency of the cutting and edge-sealing process may be decreased asthe percentage of thermoplastic fibers in a given fibrous web materialto be cut and sealed decreases. Therefore, where a fibrous web materialincluding non-thermoplastic fibers is desired, the web should desirablycontain less than about 50 percent by weight of the non-thermoplasticfibers, more desirably, less than about 30 percent of thenon-thermoplastic fibers, and still more desirably 10 percent (or less)by weight of the non-thermoplastic fibers.

As mentioned above, nonwoven fibrous web materials are highly suitablefor constructing the probes of the invention. Such nonwoven webs may bebonded or otherwise consolidated in order to improve the strength of theweb by various methods including adhesive bonding and thermally pointbonding the fibrous webs as mentioned above. In addition, oralternatively, fibrous web materials may be bonded by point unbonded orpattern unbonded thermal bonding. As used herein “pattern unbonded” orinterchangeably “point unbonded” or “PUB”, means a bonding pattern for afibrous web material having continuous bonded areas defining a pluralityof discrete unbonded areas, such as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.5,858,515 to Stokes et al., incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety. The fibers within the discrete unbonded areas aredimensionally stabilized by the continuous bonded areas that encircle orsurround each unbonded area, such that no support or backing layer offilm or adhesive is required. The unbonded areas are specificallydesigned to afford spaces between fibers within the unbonded areas. Asuitable process for forming a pattern-unbonded fibrous materialincludes providing a fibrous fabric or web, providing opposedlypositioned first and second calender rolls and defining a nip therebetween, with at least one of the rolls being heated and having abonding pattern on its outermost surface comprising a continuous patternof land areas defining a plurality of discrete openings, apertures orholes, and passing the fibrous fabric or web within the nip formed bythe rolls. Each of the openings in the roll or rolls defined by thecontinuous land areas forms a discrete unbonded area in at least onesurface of the fabric or web in which the fibers of the web aresubstantially or completely unbonded. Stated alternatively, thecontinuous pattern of land areas in the roll or rolls forms a continuouspattern of bonded areas that define a plurality of discrete unbondedareas on at least one surface of the fibrous fabric or web. Alternativeembodiments of the aforesaid process includes pre-bonding the fibrousfabric or web before passing the fabric or web within the nip formed bythe calender rolls, or providing multiple fibrous webs to form anintegrally bonded pattern-unbonded laminate.

The fibrous web material(s) constructed for use in probes of the presentinvention may desirably include a texturized surface where the probe maycontact a user's teeth or gums. The texturized surface can facilitateremoval of residue, such as plaque, and film from the teeth and/or gums.The texturized surface may be provided on the probes only where theprobe is to contact the teeth and gums or can completely cover theexterior surface of the probe. The manner in which a texturized surfaceis formed on a nonwoven web for use in the present invention can varydepending upon the particular application of the desired result. As oneexample, the point-unbonded bonding pattern describe above may be usedfor the fibrous web material, thereby providing to the fibrous webmaterial a texturized surface in the from of raised “tufts” (theunbonded areas encircled by the continuous bonded area). Such a tuftedfibrous web material may be used to provide a probe having a texturizedsurface for improved surfaces cleaning. Other examples of texturizedsurfaces include for instance, bristles and loop structures such as theloops used in hook and loop attachment structures, and so forth.

It is believed that the thermally point unbonded texturized or mildlyabrasive surfaces provide various advantages and benefits when used inprobing into small or confided spaces, such as use for or as a dentalprobe or toothpick. In certain embodiments, such point unbondedmaterials may be defined by having semi-rigid protuberances of a certainheight, particularly having a height of about 0.5 millimeters orgreater. More particularly, the height of the tufts may desirably befrom about 0.5 millimeters to about 5 millimeters, and still moreparticularly, the height of the tufts may desirably be from about 0.5millimeters to about 3 millimeters. In exemplary embodiments, such tuftsor texturized areas can have a substantially circular shape. It shouldbe understood, however, that such tufts or texturized areas can have anysuitable shape including, but not limited to, square, triangular,toroidal (i.e. the shape of a doughnut), and so forth. An exemplarymethod of making point unbonded materials is described in U.S. Pat. No.6,647,549 to McDevitt, et al. which is incorporated herein by reference.Moreover, although not specifically shown, a probe of the presentinvention can include bristles on one or more of the exterior surfaces.For example, bristles such as are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,617,694to Bori or 5,287,584 to Skinner, which are incorporated herein byreference, can be provided on a surface of the fibrous web material orfabric that is used to form the probe. In addition to thermal bonding,ultrasonic bonding methods can be used to produce a point unbondedmaterial.

In addition to the aforementioned point unbonded materials, there aremany other methods for creating texturized surfaces on fibrous webmaterial surfaces and many other texturized materials can be utilized.Examples of known texturized materials include rush transfer materials,flocked materials, wireform nonwovens, and so forth. Moreover,through-air bonded fibers, such as through-air bonded multicomponentnonwoven webs, can be incorporated into and/or onto a fibrous webmaterial to provide texture to the exterior surface of the probe.Textured webs having projections from about 0.5 mm to about 5 mm or inthe desirable above-mentioned range of dimensions, such as pinformmeltblown or wireform meltblown may also be suitably utilized in fibrousweb material used in the probe of the present invention.

As stated above, the probes in accordance with the present inventioninclude at least one fibrous web material. Additionally, laminatematerials of the fibrous web material with a film material may beincorporated or used to construct a probe in accordance with the presentinvention. When incorporated into a laminate, the laminate can includevarious fibrous web materials, such as nonwoven webs, in combinationwith a film layer, and may be such as the multilayer laminate materialshereinabove described.

In general, a probe of the present invention can be used for probinginto and/or cleaning of tight or constricted small spaces. Because theprobes of the invention provide, on the one hand, a stiffened or rigidmember having resistance to bending and folding, the probes are capableof being pushed into small spaces (i.e. probing) without undue collapse.On the other hand and at the same time, the probes proved a relativelysofter, more flexible surface portion in the form of the non-sealed ornon-edge surface portion of the fibrous web material, and the inventiveprobes are therefore particularly useful for probing or cleaning workrequiring a gentle touch, such as interdental probes that may be used toremove plaque, food particles or other foreign objects from interdentalspaces and/or from along the gumlines (i.e., the tooth-gum interfaceline). In addition, the probes may be used to provide or deliver an oralhygiene treatment or other beneficial treatment to the teeth and/or gumswhile cleaning interdental spaces.

Referring now to the Figures, one embodiment of a probe of the presentinvention is depicted in FIG. 1, FIG. 6 and FIG. 7. FIG. 1 illustrates aside view of a probe 10, while FIG. 6 illustrates a cut-away orcross-sectional view of probe 10 taken along line 6-6 and FIG. 7illustrates a cut-away or cross-sectional view of probe 10 taken alongline 7-7. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the probe 10 is formed as a unitarystructure from a first fibrous web material 12 which may desirably bethe texturized point unbonded nonwoven fabric illustrated in FIG. 1 thatincludes a plurality of, in this instance, substantially circularunbonded areas 13 surrounded by the continuous bonded area 14. To formthe probe 10 the first fibrous web material 12 and a second fibrous webmaterial 15 (not visible in FIG. 1), which may also desirably be a pointunbonded nonwoven fabric, are placed in a layered or laminateface-to-face relation so that the texturized surfaces of the pointunbonded nonwoven fabrics face outward or externally. The sheets offibrous web material are then simultaneously cut and sealed to form atwo layer laminate in the shape illustrated in FIG. 1. It should benoted that it is also possible to form a probe of the invention using asingle, thicker fibrous web material instead of using two or morefibrous web materials in layered or laminate form.

The shape illustrated in FIG. 1 can be generally described as anelongate (i.e., generally having a narrow width in relation to length)body member 11 that tapers to terminate at the first pointed end 16. Theelongate body member 11 also tapers to terminate at the second pointedend 17. It should be noted that although it is not required for theelongate body member 11 to terminate at more than one pointed end,having multiple pointed ends may be desirable to provide a probe havingadditional utility and/or additional cleaning capacity. In addition,although the probe in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 has taperedends that curve before the probe terminates at ends 16 and 17, it is notrequired that the probe body include such curves and the probe mayinstead be shaped substantially straight, e.g. like a conventionaltoothpick, or may have one end curved and one end straight (i.e.,tapered to a pointed end but substantially along a line parallel to theaxis of elongate body member 11). As still another alternative, theprobe may be shaped with one curved end curving downward such as end 16shown in FIG. 1, and with another curved end, that, instead of pointingdownward as end 17 in FIG. 1, points upward instead. As can be seen inthe cross sectional views in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the probe 10 isgenerally larger or wider (FIG. 6) along the central portion of theelongate body member 11, and generally smaller (narrower) as shown inFIG. 7 toward the tapered and/or curved ends of the probe 10. Inaddition, in FIGS. 6 and 7 it can be seen that, for this embodiment ofthe probe of the invention, a hollow space exists between the twofibrous web materials, such that the two fibrous web materials oncesealed together form an elongate tubular member.

As mentioned, the probes of the invention have at least one cut andsealed edge. The probe 10 in FIG. 1 includes a sealed edge 18 and asealed edge 19 which, as shown, is on the opposite side of the probe 10.As depicted in FIG. 1, the sealed edges are approximately parallel toeach other along the length of probe 10, except to the extent that thetwo sealed edges converge toward one another at the two pointed ends 16and 17.

The process which cuts the shape of the probe from the fibrous webmaterial(s) and forms the sealed edge may be performed by various knowntechniques, particularly by heat or thermal cutting/sealing with aheated die, and by ultrasonic cutting and bonding/sealing methods.Ultrasonic bonding methods are known in the art and may be performed,for example, by passing the fabric between a sonic horn emittingultrasonic energy and an anvil rolls. Such processes are described, forexample, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,374,888 to Bornslaeger. In a particularlydesirable process, the sealed edge may be formed by an ultrasoniccut-and-seal process utilizing an ultrasonic bonding apparatus wherein aprobe-shaped pattern is cut from the fibrous web material sheet(s) andthe edge of the cut area is simultaneously sealed while the shape iscut, all in a single processing step. The shape of the edge seam alongthe sealed edge(s), that is, the width and thickness of the sealed edge,is controlled by defining the dimensions of the bonding horn and/orbonding anvil which form the ultrasonic cutting and sealing die.

Turning briefly to FIG. 21, there is illustrated in a cross-sectionalview an exemplary configuration for an ultrasonic bonding or weldinghorn for an ultrasonic die that is designed to be capable of producing asimultaneous cut and sealed edge in the fibrous web material(s) used inthe construction of the probes of the invention. In FIG. 21, the horn isconfigured to include a flat (horizontal) cross-section cutting section210 and a tapered or angled welding or sealing section 220. In use, whenthe horn is applied to or lowered down onto the material to be cut andsealed, the horn will be vibrating at a selected ultrasonic frequency(for example, 20,000 cycles per second). The vibrations transmit energyto the fibrous web material as the energy passes into and through theweb, which induces localized heating and essentially melts thethermoplastic fibers and/or fuses them together. The flat cuttingsection 210 will press through or nearly all the way through the fibrousweb material, to at least partially contact an anvil section (not shown)of the ultrasonic apparatus. The flat cutting section will generally befairly small, e.g. from about 0.1 to about 0.2 millimeters wide,although it may be smaller or larger upon need.

The angled sealing section 220 which is shown in FIG. 21 to have anangle of about 45 degrees, will also transmit energy and induce heatingin the fibrous web material and thereby cause fusing or melting of thefibers, but without passing completely through the section or portion ofthe fibrous web material it contacts. Therefore, the sealed edge of theprobe thus produced will represent a mirror image of the horn geometry.That is to say, the sealed edge will have a generally triangular-shapedcross section having its thickest portion near the body of the probe,which corresponds to the portion of the sealed edge made while incontact with the sealing section 220 at or near the point labeled “A” inFIG. 21. The sealed edge of a probe thus produced will then thingradually or taper in a direction moving outwardly away from the body ofthe probe, with the thinnest portion of the sealed edge corresponding tothe portion of the sealed edge made while in contact with cuttingsection 210 at or near the point labeled “B” in FIG. 21.

One will recognize that the ultrasonic die horn depicted in FIG. 21 isessentially symmetric, having similarly configured cutting sections andwelding sections on both sides of the horn, which would be expected toproduce similarly symmetrically configured cut and sealed edge(s) on theprobe it produces. However, the horn may alternatively be configurednon-symmetrically, for example where it is desired to produce a probewith (for example) a thicker, or a longer, or otherwisecharacteristically different sealed edge on one side of the probe thanthe sealed edge on the other side of the probe body. In addition, wherea probe having only a single cut and sealed edge is desired, anultrasonic horn used to cut and seal those probes would have only asingle cutting section/single welding section. It will also berecognized that the geometric configuration of the size or widthdimension of the flat cutting section may vary, and the size and/orangle of the welding or sealing section may vary from that shown, andstill further that various suitable combinations may be readilydetermined through routine experimentation. Generally, the properties ofthe sealed edge may be controlled by the following factors: horngeometry, anvil geometry, horn down speed (rate at which the horn isbrought into contact with and pressed through the fibrous webmaterial(s)), horn pressure, and the amplitude and/or frequency ofultrasonic energy, and the scrub time as is known to those of skill inthe art. As still yet another alternative, the fibrous web materials maybe cut and sealed to produce the probes by using a flat horn which isbrought down onto a patterned anvil surface.

The dimensions of the sealed edge(s) will generally be less than about 1millimeter in width and less than about 1 millimeter thick at itsthickest part. In some embodiments, the sealed edge(s) may be less thanabout 0.5 millimeter in width and less than about 0.5 millimeter thickat the thickest part. In some further embodiments, the sealed edge(s)may be less than about 0.4 millimeter in width and less than about 0.4millimeter thick at the thickest part. In still further embodiments, thesealed edge dimensions (either/or or both of the thickness and width)may be less than about 0.3 millimeter, or less than about 0.2millimeter, or less than about 0.1 millimeter, and so forth. Inaddition, it should be noted that these two dimensions do not have to besymmetric as discussed above with respect to horn geometry. For example,all of the dimension ranges stated above are independent, and it ispossible to produce probes having sealed edge(s) that are of narrowwidth but, relative to the sealed edge width, quite thick, and viceversa. As a specific example of the foregoing, a probe may have a sealededge that is about 0.5 millimeters thick at its thickest part and about0.3 millimeters wide.

The dimensions of probe itself will depend upon the particularapplication and purpose for which the probe is to be used. For instance,the probe can be designed to fit into rather smaller, or rather largerspaces. For typical applications, the probe may have a length rangingfrom about 0.5 inches to about 3 inches (about 13 millimeters to about76 millimeters), although of course larger and smaller probes may beconstructed and are envisioned. Also, for typical applications, theprobe may have a median flattened width that ranges from about 0.05inches to about 0.5 inches (about 1 millimeter to about 13 millimeters),and more particularly, a median flattened width from about 0.05 inchesto about 0.25 inches (about 1 millimeter to about 6 millimeters),although again, both narrower and wider probes may be constructed andare envisioned.

The probes in accordance with the present invention can also be madefrom more than two layers of fibrous web material. Returning again tothe Figures, another exemplary probe 20 is shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 8 andFIG. 9. FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of a probe 20, while FIG. 8illustrates a cut-away or cross-sectional view of probe 20 taken alongline 8-8, and FIG. 9 illustrates a cut-away or cross-sectional view ofprobe 20 taken along line 9-9. The probe 20 is externally similar toprobe 10 illustrated in FIG. 1, except as illustrated in FIG. 2 probe 20has an elongate body member 21 which is wider than the relatively narrowelongate body member 11 of probe 10. In addition, probe 20 furtherincludes a third material 26 as an additional material layer that issandwiched or layered between the two fibrous web materials 22 and 24that make up the external surfaces of probe 20. The third or additionalmaterial layer 26 acts as a “core” material for the probe 20 and mayprovide additional rigidity or stiffness to the probe 20. In addition,the third material 26 may act to provide resiliency or resistance toopposing crushing forces which may be applied to the sides of the probe20 when gripped by a user during normal use. For example, the additionalor third material layer 26 may desirably be a foam material, such as aresilient open or closed cell foam material as is known in the art.Alternatively, the third material 26 may be another fibrous web materialor fibrous web laminate material as described above, or may be a filmlayer, etc.

In addition to the above-mentioned probes having two sealed edges thatare substantially parallel to each other, probes may be constructedhaving sealed edges that are perpendicular to each other, or at otherangles with respect to each other. FIG. 3 and its associatedcross-section figures FIGS. 10-12, and FIG. 4 and its associatedcross-section figures FIGS. 13-15, demonstrate such probes having sealededges that are not substantially parallel. The probe 30 shown in sideview in FIG. 3 includes an elongate body member 31, although unlikethose described with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2, body member 31 generallytapers continuously toward the first pointed end 35 of the probe 30.Probe 30 is made from one fibrous web material 32 that is folded ontoitself to form, in effect, a bilayer or two-layer laminate structurethat is cut and sealed to form sealed edge 33. A second sealed edge 34is formed in the probe 30 by rotating the sealed edge 33 to lie alongthe uppermost surface of the rotated probe 30, and applying the secondcut/seal producing second sealed edge 34 that is (as depicted here)essentially perpendicular to sealed edge 33. As can be seen in thecross-section figures FIG. 10 (taken along lines 10-10), FIG. 11 (takenalong lines 11-11), and FIG. 12 (taken along lines 12-12), placing thetwo sealed edges in the probe at angles with respect to each otherproduces a probe having an enhanced three-dimensional shape.

Turning now to FIG. 4 and its associated cross-section figures FIGS.13-15, the probe 40 shown in side view in FIG. 4 includes an elongatebody member 41 that generally tapers continuously toward the firstpointed end 45 of the probe 40, similar to probe 30 in FIG. 3. However,probe 40 is made from two fibrous web materials, first fibrous webmaterial 42 and second fibrous web material 46. The two fibrous webmaterials are cut and sealed along two separate lines to form two sealededges 43 and 47 (edge 47 is not visible in FIG. 4). Then, a third sealededge 44 is formed in the probe 40 by rotating the probe 40 so thatsealed edge 43 lies along the uppermost surface of the as-rotated probe40, and sealed edge 47 lies along the lower surface of the as-rotatedprobe 40, and applying the third cut/seal producing third sealed edge 44that is (as depicted here in FIG. 4) essentially perpendicular to boththe first sealed edge 43 and the second sealed edge 47. As can be seenin the cross-section figures FIGS. 13-15 (taken respectively along lines13-13, 14-14 and 15-15), probe 40 also exhibits an enhancedthree-dimensional shape.

Turning now to FIG. 5, there is illustrated a probe 50 terminating in orhaving a single pointed end 51 at one end of its elongate body member 52and having a single sealed edge 53. Probe 50 is made from a singlefibrous web material sheet 54 which has been folded upon itself in abilayer or laminate type configuration as mentioned above, before beingcut and sealed. FIG. 5 is also illustrative of the above-mentionedalternative possible widths for sealed edges, with sealed edge 53 havinga width “W” that is wider than those depicted in the embodiments andfigures above. Various cross sectional views of the probe 50 are shownin FIGS. 16-18, and these are taken as shown in FIG. 5 at cut lines16-16, 17-17 and 18-18, respectively.

The basis weight of the probes of the invention may vary widely and maybe selected based on the functional requirements foreseen for a givenapplication. Generally speaking, the basis weight of the probes of theinvention may suitably be from about 34 gsm or less up to about 400 gsmor even more, and more particularly may have a basis weight from about70 gsm to about 300 gsm, and still more particularly, from about 70 gsmto about 200 gsm. Other examples are of course possible, and the desiredbasis weight of the probes will depend on a number of factors includingthe amount and type of probing and cleaning envisioned, as well as thenumber and composition of individual layers of fibrous web material(s)and/or other core materials utilized in the construction of a particularembodiment of the probe.

In another particular embodiment, multiple probes may be cut and sealedfrom the fibrous web material(s) but where a portion of the fibrous webmaterial remains uncut, so that adjacent or neighboring probes are atleast partially connected together. In this way, a pack of a pluralityof probes may be provided as “sheet” of probes. The individual probes inthe pack of probes may be dispensed from the sheet by application ofmanual pressure to “pop” or break an individual probe free of itsneighbors by breaking that portion of the fibrous web material(s) thatremain uncut and connecting neighboring probes. In addition, theprovision of such multi-probe packs allows for efficient utilization ofthe fibrous web material(s) used in producing the probes, by “nesting”the probes together. Exemplary embodiments of such packs of probes areillustrated in FIGS. 19 and 20. In FIG. 19 is shown a pack 100comprising a plurality of individual probes 110 on the sheet 120. Asillustrated in FIG. 19, the individual probes 110 are all of similarsize in shape. However, it is not required that the probes provided insuch a pack all be similar. As an example, in FIG. 20 is shown a pack160 comprising a plurality of probes on the sheet 170. As illustrated inFIG. 20, the individual probes (for example, the probes 172, 174, 176and 178) may desirably have different sizes and shapes.

In certain desirable embodiments, the probe of the present invention mayfurther include one or more optional active substances including, butnot limited to, dentrifices, fluoride compounds, anti-caries agents,oral anesthetics, antimicrobial compounds, antibacterial or bacteriainhibiting compounds, medications, astringents, polishing agents,flavorings and so forth in order to provide additional benefits such ascavity prevention, pleasant flavor, breath freshening and so forth. Suchactive substances may be added topically to one or more of the probesurfaces after the probe is constructed. Alternatively, or in addition,such an active substance may be added topically to a fibrous webmaterial prior to probe construction, and/or may be included in the rawmaterials (fibers or polymer melt) used in a fibrous web material. As aspecific example, certain additives such as a mint flavoring aresuggested when the probe is used as an oral cleaning device so that theprobe leaves the user with a clean and fresh “minty” feeling after use.In one embodiment, cationic substances such as cationic polymers can beincluded in or coated onto the probe. Cationic polymers can help cleanteeth and/or gums due to electrostatic attraction for negatively chargedbacteria and deleterious acidic byproducts that accumulate in plaque.One example of a cationic polymer that is suitable for use in thepresent invention is chitosan (poly-N-acetylglucosamine, a derivative ofchitin) or chitosan salts. Chitosan and its salts are naturalbiopolymers that can have both hemostatic and bacteriostatic properties.As a result, chitosan can help reduce bleeding, reduce plaque, andreduce gingivitis. In addition to chitosan and chitosan salts, othercationic polymers known in the art can generally be applied to a probeof the present invention. For example, in one embodiment, cationicstarches may be used in the present invention. One such suitablecationic starch is, for example, COBOND, which can be obtained fromNational Starch, Indianapolis, Ind. In another embodiment, cationicmaterials that are oligomeric compounds can be used. In someembodiments, combinations of cationic materials can be utilized.

In addition to the additives mentioned above, a variety of other activesubstances or additives can be included in or applied to a probe of thepresent invention. For instance, other well known dental agents can beutilized. Examples of such dental agents include, but are not limitedto, alginates, soluble calcium salts, phosphates, fluorides, such assodium fluoride (NaF) or stannous fluoride (SnF₂), and so forth.Moreover, mint oils and mint oil mixtures can be applied to a probe ofthe present invention. For instance, in one embodiment, peppermint oilcan be applied to the probe. Moreover, in another embodiment, a mintoil/ethanol mixture can be applied. Components of mint oil (e.g.,menthol, carvone) can also be used. Additionally, various whiteningagents can be applied to the probe. Examples of whitening agents includeperoxides and in situ sources of peroxide, such as carbamide peroxide.Polishing agents such as sodium bicarbonate particles can be included onthe surface of the probe to provide the additional feature of polishingand/or odor absorbing.

Furthermore, in some embodiments, the probe can also include ananti-ulcer component as an active substance. In particular, oneembodiment of the present invention can comprise a component designed toact as an anti-Helicobacter pylori (“H. pylori”) agent. In general, anyadditive known in the art to be an anti-ulcer or anti-H. pylori agentcan be used in the present invention. In one embodiment, for example,bismuth salts can be utilized. One particularly effective bismuth salt,bismuth subcitrate, is described in more detail in U.S. Pat. No.5,834,002 to Athanikar, which is incorporated herein in its entirety byreference thereto. Another example of a suitable bismuth salt is bismuthsubsalicylate. In addition to bismuth salts, other examples of suitableanti-ulcer additives include, but are not limited to, tetracycline,erythromycin, clarithromycin or other antibiotics. Furthermore, anyadditive useful for treating peptic ulcers, such as H2-blockers,omeprazole, sucralfate, and metronidazole, can be used as well.

Besides the additives mentioned above, other active substance additivescan also be applied to or included in the probe. Such materials caninclude, but are not limited to, preservatives, other polishing agents,hemostatic agents, surfactants, and so forth. Examples of suitableflavoring agents include various sugars, breath freshening agents, andartificial sweeteners as well as natural flavorants, such as cinnamon,vanilla and citrus. Moreover, in one embodiment, xylitol, which providesa cooling effect upon dissolution in the mouth and is anti-cariogenic,can be used as the flavoring agent. As stated, preservatives, such asmethyl benzoate or methyl paraben, can also be applied to a probe of thepresent invention. The additives can be applied to the probe as is orthey can be encapsulated or microencapsulated as is known in the art inorder to preserve the additives and/or to provide the additive with timerelease properties.

Prior to being shipped and sold, a probe or a pack including a pluralityof probes of the present invention can be placed in various sealedpackaging in order to preserve any additives applied to the probes orotherwise to maintain the probes in a clean environment. Variouspackaging materials that can be used include suitable packagingmaterials known in the art, for example ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA)films, film foil laminates, metalized films, multi-layered plasticfilms, and so forth. The packaging can be completely impermeable or maydesirably be differentially permeable to the flavorants depending on theapplication.

The present invention may be better understood by reference to thefollowing examples:

EXAMPLES

Various probes were made according to the present invention and tested.The probes were made with various fibrous web materials as described inthe following examples. Several of the examples were made as a singleprobe while other examples were made as a cluster or pack of probes asillustrated in FIG. 19 and FIG. 20. The probes were constructed from thematerials and the sealed edges of the probes were formed using anultrasonic cut-and-seal process essentially as described above. Asdescribed above, the ultrasonic horn was used to cut through thematerials and to simultaneously weld (seal) them together to form thesealed edge during the cutting operation. The specific horn used wassimilar to the one depicted in FIG. 21, and had flat cutting sectionsapproximately 0.13 millimeters wide and welding/sealing sections angledat about 45 degrees. In addition to the description above relating toFIG. 21, the ultrasonic die was configured such that, after the cuttingsection of the horn passed through the fibrous web material(s), the hornupon contact with the anvil activated a ground-detect circuit thatinterrupted the power flow to the horn, thereby stopping the horn fromfurther emitting ultrasonic energy. The resulting seal at the edges ofthe probes thus formed produced a semi-rigid edge of the fusedthermoplastic polymer of the fibers, and these sealed edges were quitedifferent in properties compared to the original fibrous web materialand the fibrous web material surfaces of the probe body.

Example 1

A sample probe was formed as follows. A single fibrous web materialwhich was a point unbonded spunbond laminate material was folded uponitself to form two layers of the material in face-to-face relation andhaving the point unbonded surfaces forming the exterior surfaces. Aprobe was then constructed by ultrasonically cutting and sealing thefolded point unbonded spunbond laminate to form a probe similar in shapeto the one illustrated in FIG. 1. The cutting and sealing operation wasperformed using a Branson 920 IW ultrasonic welder available from theBranson Ultrasonics Corporation of Danbury, Conn.

The point unbonded spunbond laminate fibrous web material used wasformed by thermally bonding together a polypropylene spunbond web, abreathable film sheet and a bicomponent spunbond web. The breathablefilm sheet was located in between the spunbond webs. The polypropylenespunbond web had a basis weight of about 0.5 osy (about 17 gsm). Thebicomponent spunbond web was made from bicomponent side-by-side typefibers having about 50 weight percent of a polyethylene component andabout 50 weight percent of a polypropylene component. The bicomponentspunbond web had a basis weight of about 2.5 osy (about 85 gsm). Thebreathable film sheet was made from a linear low density polyethylenecontaining a calcium carbonate filler. The calcium carbonate filled filmwas stretched prior to lamination with the two spunbond materials inorder to create a microporous film. The film had a basis weight of about0.5 osy (about 17 gsm). The bicomponent spunbond web was thermallybonded to the film laminate using a point-unbonded pattern that createdtexturized surface on one face of the laminate. In particular, circulartufts were formed on the bicomponent spunbond web side of the laminate.During bonding, a top bond roll having the point-unbonded pattern washeated to about 260° F. (about 127° C.) while a bottom bond roll washeated to about 240° F. (about 116° C.).

The probe was then used as a dental probe or toothpick to remove foodparticles from the space between two teeth.

Example 2

A single piece of the same point unbonded spunbond laminate materialused in Example 1 above was folded to three layers and a toothpick wasmade by ultrasonically welding using a Branson 920 IW ultrasonic welder.The point unbonded spunbond laminate thus formed both exterior sides ofthe probe and, in addition, formed a sandwiched additional materiallayer or core layer providing additional strength and rigidity to theprobe.

Example 3

A single piece of the same point unbonded spunbond laminate materialused in Example 1 above was folded upon itself to two layers and afoamed film material was placed between the two folded layers and aprobe was made by ultrasonically welding using the Branson 920 IWultrasonic welder. The point unbonded spunbond laminate thus formed thetwo outer surface sides of the probe with the middle or sandwiched corethird layer (foam layer) providing additional strength and rigidity tothe probe.

Example 4

Another probe of the present invention was formed as follows.Specifically, a piece of the same point unbonded spunbond laminatematerial used in Example 1 above was placed on top of a stretch bondedlaminate (SBL) sheet material layer. Stretch-bonded laminate materialsare disclosed, for example, by Vander Wielen et al. U.S. Pat. No.4,720,415, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, wherein anon-elastic web material may be bonded to an elastic material while theelastic material is held stretched, so that when the elastic material isrelaxed, the non-elastic web material gathers between the bondlocations, and the resulting elastic laminate material is stretchable tothe extent that the non-elastic web material gathered between the bondlocations allows the elastic material to elongate.

A probe was made by ultrasonically cutting and welding the two sheetstogether using a Branson 920 IW ultrasonic welder. The PUB spunbondlaminate thus formed the one side and exterior surface of the probe andthe SBL sheet formed the other side or exterior surface. The SBL sheetincluded threads or strands of an elastic material sandwiched betweentwo polypropylene spunbond layers. The elastic thread or strand materialused was KRATON® G2740 S-EB-S block copolymer available from KratonPolymers U.S., LLC of Houston, Tex. The SBL sheet had an overall basisweight of about 2.5 osy (about 85 gsm). For this example, an imprintedmagnesium bond plate served as an anvil for ultrasonic bonding of theSBL sheet to the point unbonded spunbond laminate. The bicomponentspunbond layer of the PUB spunbond fibrous web material laminate wasplaced adjacent to the SBL sheet during the ultrasonic welding process,which placed the textured nubs against the SBL sheet. As above, anultrasonic welding process was used to cut and the probe into the shapeillustrated in FIGS. 2 and 6-8. The edges of the probe were sealedsimultaneously during the cutting as described above. Peppermint oil wasapplied to the probe by dipping the probe into the peppermint oil. Thisflavored probe was then used as a dental probe to clean the teeth of auser.

Example 5

A piece of the same PUB spunbond laminate material used in Example 1 wasfolded to two layers and placed on top of a SBL sheet and then anotherprobe was made by ultrasonically welding using a Branson 920 IWultrasonic welder. The probe was thus formed with the PUB laminate onone exterior side surface of the probe, and with the SBL material on theother exterior side surface, and having, as a sandwiched third or corematerial layer having the middle PUB layer providing additional strengthand rigidity to the probe.

Example 6

A three dimensional shaped probe, that is a probe having height andwidth greater than that of the thicknesses of the layers used to formthe probe was formed as follows. Specifically, the same point unbondedspunbond laminate material used in Example 1 above was folded into twolayers with the texturized surfaces facing the exterior. Atwo-dimensional narrow cone shape was first cut from the folded materialby ultrasonically sewing the long edge of the probe using the Bransonultrasonic welder to form the narrow cone having a sealed point and anopen end. Then a three dimensional probe was formed by cutting andsealing along the open end of the cone forming a sealed edge that wasperpendicular to the first sealed long edge. The final shape of theprobe consisted of an elongate tubular body that terminated at a firstend in a point and at the other end in a transverse or perpendicularflat seam.

While not described in detail herein, various additional potentialconstructional elements or features may be used without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention, and various additional processingand/or finishing steps as are known in the art for processing of fibrousweb materials may be performed on the probe and/or on the componentmaterials of the probe without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention. Examples of additional processing include such as theapplication of treatments, printing of graphic designs or company logos.General examples of material treatments include one or more treatmentsto impart or increase wettability or hydrophilicity to a web material.Wettability treatment additives may be incorporated into a polymer meltas an internal treatment during the production of an individualcomponent material layer, or may be added topically at some pointfollowing the formation of an individual component material layer.

Although various embodiments of the invention have been described usingspecific terms, devices, and methods, such description is forillustrative purposes only. The words used are words of descriptionrather than of limitation. It is to be understood that changes andvariations may be made by those of ordinary skill in the art withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of the present invention, which isset forth in the following claims. In addition, it should be understoodthat aspects of the various embodiments may be interchanged both inwhole and in part. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appendedclaims should not be limited to the description of the preferredversions contained therein.

1. A probe for probing and cleaning spaces, the probe comprising atleast a first fibrous web material comprising thermoplastic polymericfibers, wherein the probe comprises at least one cut and sealed edgethat terminates at a first point at a first end of the probe.
 2. Theprobe of claim 1, wherein the probe terminates at a second point at asecond end of the probe.
 3. The probe of claim 1, wherein the at leastfirst fibrous web material comprises a woven material or nonwovenmaterial comprising thermoplastic fibers.
 4. The probe of claim 3,wherein the thermoplastic fibers comprise a polyolefin polymer.
 5. Theprobe of claim 3, wherein the thermoplastic fibers comprisepolypropylene polymer.
 6. The probe of claim 1 further comprising asecond fibrous web material in face-to-face relation with the firstfibrous web material, the second fibrous web material comprisingthermoplastic polymeric fibers, wherein the first fibrous web materialand second fibrous web material are cut and sealed together to form thesealed edge.
 7. The probe of claim 1, wherein the first fibrous webmaterial is folded in face-to-face relation with itself and cut andsealed to form the sealed edge.
 8. The probe of claim 7, wherein thefolded web forms an elongate tubular member.
 9. The probe of claim 6,the first fibrous web material and second fibrous web material form anelongate tubular member.
 10. The probe of claim 6 further comprising asecond sealed edge that is substantially parallel to the first sealededge.
 11. The probe of claim 1, wherein the fibrous web materialcomprises a texturized surface.
 12. The probe of claim 11, wherein thetexturized surface is selected from the group consisting of loopedbristles, crimped fibers, and point unbonded materials having aplurality of raised tufts surrounded by bonded regions.
 13. The probe ofclaim 1, wherein the fibrous web material comprises a web materialselected from the group consisting of woven materials, spunbond webs,meltblown webs, spunbond-meltblown webs, spunbond-meltblown-spunbondwebs, through air bonded webs and combinations and laminates thereof.14. The probe of claim 1 further comprising a second fibrous webmaterial and an additional material layer, wherein the additionalmaterial layer is disposed in face-to-face relation between the firstfibrous web material and the second fibrous web material.
 15. The probeof claim 14 wherein the additional material layer is selected fromfibrous web materials and foam materials.
 16. The probe of claim 1further comprising an additional material layer, wherein the firstfibrous web material is folded upon itself to form a bilayer, with theadditional material layer disposed between the folded bilayer.
 17. Theprobe of claim 16 wherein the additional material layer disposed betweenthe folded bilayer is selected from fibrous web materials and foammaterials.
 18. The probe of claim 1, further comprising at least oneactive substance.
 19. A pack comprising a plurality of probes, theplurality of probes comprising: a first probe comprising an elongatebody member that terminates at a point at one end of the body member,and at least a second probe comprising an elongate body member thatterminates at a point at one end of the body member at least partiallyconnected to the first probe.
 20. The pack of claim 19, wherein thefirst probe and second probe comprise a first fibrous web material and asecond fibrous web material that are cut and sealed to form a first longedge of the elongate body member.
 21. The pack of claim 20, wherein thefirst probe and second probe each comprise a second long edge that issubstantially parallel to the first long edge.